Background Article

The Church teaches that parents have an essential role in the faith formation of their children. This role is so crucial that the Church refers to the parents as the primary educators of their children.

Parents are the ones who must create a family atmosphere animated by love and respect for God and man, in which the well-rounded personal and social education of children is fostered. Hence the family is the first school of the social virtues that every society needs. It is particularly in the Christian family, enriched by the grace and office of the sacrament of matrimony, that children should be taught from their early years to have a knowledge of God according to the faith received in Baptism, to worship Him, and to love their neighbor.

Second Vatican Council, Gravissimum Educationis (Declaration on Christian Education), 3

In many parishes, children celebrate the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time in the Second Grade. If your parish is one of these, keep in mind that this is a critical time to involve parents and other family members. Together work toward centering the preparation for these sacraments in the home. As parents gain confidence in introducing their children to the Sacraments and sharing their faith with them, they will be proud of their role and see it as rightfully theirs. Parents will also appreciate the roles of the catechist and parish community in sustaining and supporting their family in the Catholic faith.

• How I do involve the parents and family in the faith formation of their children?
• How can I help parents see themselves as the “primary educators” of their children, especially in regards to the faith formation of their children?

Links
CST 101 | Call to Family, Community, and Participation
From Catholic Relief Services YouTube

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Background Article

The Church teaches that we have a duty, both as individuals and as a community, to protect the rights of others. At the core of all inherent rights is the dignity of the human person and the right to life. Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community achieved only when the rights of all people are protected and our responsibilities of all people are met. We, therefore, have responsibilities to one another, to our families, and to society in general.

Every basic human right draws its authoritative force from the natural law, which confers it and attaches to it its respective duty.  Hence, to claim one’s rights and ignore one’s duties, or only half fulfill  them, is like building a house with one hand and tearing it down with the  other.

Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), 30

As a starting place, people within a family need to be just with each other. Each person has rights and duties within the family community. To be just, each person must respect the rights of other family members. Everyone needs to fulfill their family obligations as well. This then extends to the parish community, and the world community.

• How do I respect the rights of others as well as my own?
• What family obligations do I have and how do they relate to honoring each family member?

Links
Resources on Rights and Responsibiltieis
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Background Article

Our Church teaches that the need to promote and preserve the dignity of individuals is essential to justice. Catholic social teaching calls us to give preference to the needs of the poor and vulnerable. This raises an important issue that is often overlooked. Although we may seek to ensure that those in need receive the basic necessities, often the administration of social programs can sometimes dehumanize those who need help.

The needs of the poor take  priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the  maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled  industrial expansion; the production to meet social needs over production for  military purposes.

USCCB, Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the US Economy, 94, 1986

Therefore, we should look to the Gospels and observe how Jesus treated the poor and sick. Jesus gives a clear example of the need to respect those to whom we minister. We should periodically review our charitable programs and actions and keep Jesus words in mind, “…whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Let’s remember that we are ministering to the Lord himself.

• Which Gospel story about Jesus and the disenfranchised comes to mind?
• How might I apply this Gospel story to my own life?

Links
Option of the Poor and Vulnerable Resources
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Background Article

The Catholic Church teaches that every human being has been created by God in his divine image and is precious to him. This is why the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person are the foundation of Catholic social teaching.

We are asked to love and honor the life of every man and woman and to work with perseverance and courage so that our time, marked by all too many signs of death, may at last witness the establishment of a new culture of life, the fruit of the culture of truth and of love.

Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life), 77

In our society today, human life is under direct attack from abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, cloning, and the death penalty. Every Catholic has the moral obligation to protect human life from conception until natural death.

• Which of the life issues do I think is in most need of advocacy today?
• What are some ways that I can help to promote a Culture of Life?

Links
Culture of Life Resources
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

CST 101 | Life and Dignity of the Human Person
From Catholic Relief Services YouTube

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Background Article

Our Church teaches that we are one human family. As children of God, we are brothers and sisters called to be responsible for one another. Loving our brothers and sisters throughout the world requires that we work for peace and justice.

“A change of attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization – all typical of a throwaway culture – towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world.”

Pope Francis, Mexico/Holy See Colloquium on Migration and Development, 7/14/2014

These brothers and sisters include immigrants to our country, both legal and illegal. Our U.S. bishops have advocated a viable path to citizenship for the undocumented, more generous family reunification policies, and a temporary worker program. In “Strangers No Longer,” the bishops state that nations have the right to control their borders. They also state that this right must be balanced against the right of persons to migrate so that they can realize their God-given rights. It all comes down to a matter of balancing. A nation has a responsibility to the common good of its own people and this must be balanced against a need for universal common good.

Additionally, the bishops recognize that there are conditions that compel people to leave their homes out of desperation and lack of opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. These issues must be addressed if an effective and comprehensive response to migration is to be achieved in our country.

• What do I know about the immigration issues in the United States?
• Do I pray that there be justice for all who migrate to our country?

Links
Brothers and Sisters to Us
USCCB’s Pastoral Letter on Racism, 1979

Migrant and Refugee Children Resources
Downloadable fact sheets from the USCCB

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Background Article

As the Church continually states in her teachings on stewardship, we have an obligation to respect and care for God’s creation. There is, fortunately, a growing awareness that we need to make greater efforts to conserve our natural resources, recycle what we can, and be less wasteful in general. God calls us to be good stewards of every gift has has given us. Stewardship involves governments, corporations, communities, families, and individuals.

“I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be ‘protectors’ of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.”

Pope Francis, Inauguration, 3/19/13

One of the greatest gifts of creation is the tremendous variety of animal and plant life on our planet. We are finally learning that these, too, should be used prudently. Many medicines are derived from rare plants, and the benefits we gain from these plants, are important to human life. We need to be concerned not only about people, but all living things, because all of God’s creation is a gift.

• Do I appreciate and respect the beauty of various kinds of plants and animals?
• How do I show this respect and live out the call to protect God’s creation?

Links
Environment Justice Program
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

CST 101 | Care for God’s Creation
From Catholic Relief Services YouTube

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Unit Activity

Bring in a tree leaf, flower, rock, container of water, and any other created object that may be of interest to the children. Sit together in a circle. Pass around each object. Encourage the children to share what it feels like, its color, and how it help us to live. Do this with each object. Close with a discussion on how all of these things were created by God. God made them to help us enjoy his Creation. Explain to the children that each of us has a responsibility to protect God’s Creation.

Give each child a piece of paper and crayons or markers. Encourage the children to think of ways they could share the beauty of flowers with others, or the beauty of rocks, or etc. Have them draw a picture of their favorite flower, or created object. Send their pictures home with the children to share the beauty of God’s Creation with their families.

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Unit Activity

Provide each child with a large unlined index card and a crayon or marker. Attach a loop of yarn long enough to hang the card around a child’s neck. Instruct each child to write a word or phrase on the card that expresses a “hidden quality” the child possesses that others may not be aware of (e.g., I am kind, I share, I help others). As an option, tell the children that they can draw pictures or symbols that express their qualities.

Allow the children to wear their cards for the remainder of the session. Suggest that each time they see another child’s card, they should remember that God has given each person special qualities that we may not always see on the outside.

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Unit Activity

Talk with your parish priest about setting up a teaching Mass for children and their parents. You may want to consider using the Chapel for a smaller setting. You could offer to help the celebrant by identifying the items at the time of their use during the Mass. Perhaps beforehand the priest could explain the vestments and the seasonal color being used. This would enable parents and children to be more involved during future liturgical celebrations.

Use may also choose to share and use the Tour of a Catholic Church video provided on this website.

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Unit Activity

How we take care of the space we live and work in demonstrates our responsibilities to one another. We can show respect to one another by respecting our shared space.

Caring for the parish or school grounds is a responsibility in which children can be involved in. Work together to create slogans describing responsible actions. These can be made into posters or “bumper stickers.” They could involve actions such as: not littering, protecting plants, not bullying anyone on the playground, including others in games. The children will be able to add more ideas to this list of possibilities. Select the best ideas and create posters to display in the proper areas. Discuss the rights that are connected to these responsibilities.

Ask the children to think about their rights and duties. Invite them to share ideas of ways they can protect their rights and fulfill their duties – at home and at school. Help them to understand the rights to food, clothing, shelter, and safety that they have. Note that family chores and homework are some of their responsibilities, or duties.

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Unit Activity

Guide the children to work in small groups. Have them create skits to illustrate ways that children their age can express themselves positively. Encourage them to create skits that model good manners. Encourage them to portray scenes at home, school, church, or the community.

Talk with the children and ask them to name individuals with whom they interact in their daily life. For example, they may name a parent or family member, catechist, priest, senior citizen, police officer, bus driver, or friend. Then encourage them to think about and discuss the ways in which that they show respect to that person on the list. End by asking how they show respect for themselves and for God.

Photo by International Information Program (IIP)

Unit Activity

Contact personnel at a nursing home or assisted living home in your area and ask if they can suggest a list of things residents might appreciate receiving from a group of third graders. Many administrators are happy to contribute ideas. They might even supply the names of residents who do not receive many visitors or much mail and would enjoy either or both.

Share with the children the list you received. Work with them to help choose items from the list in which they are interested. For instance, one child may choose to write a letter, another to draw a picture, or a small group may decide to create greeting cards. Or, you may decide to arrange a “field trip” so that children could sing or put on a skit for the residents.

Invite the children to share if they have elderly family members living with, or near them, or elderly neighbors with whom they are friendly. Encourage the children to offer ways that these people could benefit from their help.

Record on the board their ideas about ways to help. Then, ask the group to select one or two of the listed ideas and discuss how they might act on them individually or as a group.

Photo by JSmith Photo

Unit Activity

Put the names of all the children in a bowl. Each child draws a name and is to make a “medal” to honor the child whose name he or she draws. This medal should identify some inner quality the child possesses, not for external appearance or physical talent.

You may want to put on the board a sample list of possible “inner qualities,” such as: truthful, kind, humorous, generous, patient, helpful, sensitive, forgiving, loyal, honest, courageous, gentle, and thoughtful.

Invite the children to think of some good “inner qualities” about themselves. Then have them write or draw symbols of these qualities on a sheet of paper. Individually encourage those who may be having difficulty.

Unit Activity

Assign each child to make an “inventory” of all the things he or she has at home that are not necessities. Clarify that food, clothing, and shelter are necessities of life for everyone. Have them list all the games, toys, and electronic devices they have. Instruct them to be thorough in their search.

Have the children bring their lists to the next session. Ask if they are surprised at how much “stuff” they actually possess. Then have them individually go through their lists to find things to trade or share with others. Perhaps some items will need repair or cleaning first. Together, decide on a way to share these items with others, perhaps at a day care, shelter, or nearby parish or school. Discuss how such sharing is an example of stewardship of God’s creation.

Talk about ways that reusing items helps protect the earth. Then see who can come up with the most ways to reuse a plastic bag (e.g., holding small toy pieces, cleaning up table scraps, lining wastebaskets, cleaning up behind pets), a brown paper bag (wrapping paper, mailing packages, covering books), cans (cleaning and using to hold pencils or small items), magazines (making collages or greeting cards, using pages as pictures to frame, sharing with others).

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Unit Activity

Invite a member of your parish’s “Respect Life Committee” to a session. In advance, work with the children to create questions to ask this person, such as:

• How is our parish involved in respect life issues?
• What is our parish doing to help end abortion?
• What are some ways fifth graders can help promote a Culture of Life?

Be sure to send a thank-you note to your guest. Also, encourage the children to share with their families what they learned in this session.

Display images showing people of different cultural backgrounds. Have each child select an image to study. Have them write down answers to questions about likenesses and differences between himself or herself and the person selected:

• How are we alike? In what ways am I different?
• What emotion is that person expressing? Have I felt that emotion?
• What emotions do all people have in common?

Photo by Glyn Lowe Photoworks.

Unit Activity

Many children today are becoming involved in helping to care for the environment. Have the children in your group brainstorm a list of things that fifth graders can do to help care for God’s gift of Creation. Some suggestions are tuning off lights after leaving a room; tending a garden; recycling aluminum, plastic, and paper products; giving old toys and games to a younger sibling, cousin, or neighbor; composting leaves; not littering.) Have the children report back on their progress.

Have each child identify two reasons why he or she thinks caring for Creation is one of our basic duties as Christians. Then have the children work individually or as a group to compose a prayer of thanksgiving to God for giving us our beautiful world.

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Unit Activity

Discuss the immigrant experience of the Holy Family as they fled Bethlehem for Egypt to live among strangers until it was safe to return to their homeland. Compare their experience with that of a refugee family from another country fleeing to the United States to seek asylum. Have participants role-play the two experiences, or share their reflections through a poem or in a drawing.

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick reminds us:

We must never forget the Gospel call of Jesus – to welcome the stranger – for in the face of this stranger, we see the face of Christ.” Discuss what this means for the young people in your group.

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Unit Activity

Have participants select one school day during the coming week to keep track of items that make up their own lunch. Have them list the items and how each could be reused or recycled (e.g., reuse lunch bag, take home apple core for composting, recycle juice/milk box, plastic, paper). During follow-up discussion, find out how many actually did reuse or recycle their lunch items. Discuss the experience.

To the motto “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse,” Catholics can add a fourth, “Respect.” Respect for God’s creation urges us to follow through with being good stewards. Consider problems such as littering, polluting the air, dumping hazardous waste, wasting electricity or water. Have participants describe one action your family, group, or community can take to become better stewards of God’s creation. Invite the group to create and design their own motto.

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Background Article

The Church recognizes the dignity of work and the reality that workers have rights. Among these rights is a just wage. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls a just wage the “legitimate fruit of work” (2434). Such wages allow workers to provide a healthy livelihood for themselves and their families. Proper compensation for work connects to the common good. When hard-working people do not receive just wages, all of society suffers. The family is affected negatively in terms of relationships and health.

Let the working man and the employer make free agreements, and in particular let them agree freely as to the wages; nevertheless, there underlies a dictate of natural justice more imperious and ancient than any bargain between man and man, namely, that wages ought not to be insufficient to support a frugal and well-behaved wage-earner.

Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Labor and the Working Classes”), Pope Leo XIII, 45

Profits are never more important than people. Yet sometimes people are marginalized for the sake of the bottom line. Businesses, corporations, and all economic activity are good in as much as they serve the needs of people (CCC 2432). Work, a form of continuing our participation in God’s creation, is our way of providing for a dignified livelihood.

• How does another worker’s unjust wage affect me?
• What prices am I willing to pay to support those companies and business who place people over profits?
• What responsibility do I have to help others seek a dignified livelihood?

Links
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Catholic Campaign for Human Development
from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Unit Activity

A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
Romans 4:4

In 1938 the US Congress passed (and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed) the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), establishing child labor laws, a minimum hourly wage, and maximum workweek. Have the young people review the US Department of Labor’s Minimum Wage Chart. Then have them find out the minimum wage in your state. How does it compare with the federal minimum wage? Discuss the importance of minimum wages, keeping in mind that a minimum wage is the lowest hourly wage an employer may legally pay workers, and the need for just wages.

Set up a debate involving members of your group with the topic: Should the minimum wage be a just wage? To take sides, participants will need to research the pros and cons of the issue. At the end of the debate, note that the US Bishops have long supported a just economy through decent work and decent wages.

Links
Just Wage and the Federal Minimum Wage, February 2014 (PDF)
from the USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Selected Quotations from Catholic Social Thought on the Rights and Responsibilities of Workers and Labor Unions (PDF)
from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Background Article

In some corners of the earth, especially in the poorest countries, children and adolescents are the victims of a terrible form of violence: they are enlisted to fight in the so-called “forgotten wars.” Indeed, they suffer a doubly scandalous aggression: they are made victims of war, and at the same time forced to play the lead in it, swept away in the hatred of adults. Stripped of everything, they see their future threatened by a nightmare difficult to dispel. Our youngest “brothers and sisters” who suffer from hunger, war and diseases are launching an anguished appeal to the adult world. May their cry of pain not go unheard!

Pope John Paul II, Angelus, March 28, 2004

UNICEF estimates that yearly more than 300,000 children (under the age of 18) are suffering from involvement in armed conflicts around the world (see US State Department’s Fact Sheet). Such sufferings violate the dignity of these children. Many of these children endure human trafficking, labor exploitation, military recruitment, and forced combatants (see the UN’s Six Grave Violations). Some of the worse violators include the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

In 2007, more than 50 countries approved “The Paris Commitments,” to end the use of child soldiers. The US Federal Government actively works to address the needs of children in armed conflict. Various bureaus and agencies (such as USAID) within different departments, like State Department, work on reporting and preventing violations of human rights. In 2008 Congress passed the Child Soldier Prevention Act, which restricts funding and assistance to those governments known for human trafficking and child soldier recruitment.

Children living in countries where wars are taking place need to be protected. The children need to be healed and comforted, then returned to normal society. Some of the countries do not have enough money to help the children on their own. Various organizations and groups within the Catholic Church work to protect children and help them recover. Catholic missions have special recovery homes for children who were forced to fight or who were harmed by war. With the help of Catholic Relief Services, the Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate have helped rehabilitate former child soldiers in Uganda (see the Baltimore Archdiocese’s Catholic Review’s article).

• How much am I aware of the rights of others? Rights I myself have?
• How do I fulfill my responsibilities related to these rights?

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Unit Activity

Identify basic rights that all people including children, should have: life, family, shelter, food, etc. Ask the young people to identify responsibilities they have that accompany these rights.

To exercise one of these responsibilities to advocate for the basic rights of others, have them draft letters advocating for the dignity of every human person, including children. Have each young person write a letter to a US government official, asking them to support a worldwide ban on child soldiers. Consider also writing letters to the United Nations, asking them to stop the armies from forcing children to become soldiers. Letters to newspaper and magazine editors can also be effective. To begin, work as a group to create a basic letter that states the intent of the letter.

Links
Find your US Representative
How to Contact your US Senator
Write or Call the White House

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